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Pursuit of Painless Procurement. Richard Mordaunt Director of IT & Office Procurement, OSD Commonwealth of MA December 12, 2007. An Irreverent View of Procurement.
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Pursuit of Painless Procurement Richard Mordaunt Director of IT & Office Procurement, OSD Commonwealth of MA December 12, 2007
An Irreverent View of Procurement The RFP process is highly flawed. Buyers issue documents that often provide a distorted, incomplete, or inaccurate description of the problem. This is not their intention but simply the result of many different people trying to describe a complex requirement or a difficult problem. Suppliers then take this information and interpret it in the light of their own knowledge and product offerings and develop their proposals. http://www.wrtech.com/rfp_advisor/final_offers.html
Risk in the Procurement Process • “Risk is directly related to the successful achievement of targeted goals and objectives …Risk management is an interactive process… complicated by the dynamics of the internal and external operating environments.” - from Risk in Public Contracting, Elisabeth Wright, Ph.D. published by NIGP • Planning, monitoring, anticipating change, and proactive oversight immediately impact the success of contract’s stated outcomes.
Actions to Minimize Risk • Take actions to deflect potential issues long before they arise. • Make every effort to ensure the reality and perception of a fair, open and competitive procurement. • Openly communicate with all potential bidders through Comm-PASS. • Communicate early and often. • Use every opportunity to make sure all bidders understand the RFR objectives, requirements and desirable components. • In the RFR include background and current status information so no company has an “inside track” in a solicitation. • In the RFR include a list of components that will be evaluated.
More… • Document your research (See handout) • Decide on content areas for the procurement document (See handout) • Avoid specifications that are atypical for the industry of the procurement • Use the Comm-PASS Forum to host Questions & Answers and announce a Bidders Conference • Use the Comm-PASS Solicitation for a RFI, early announcement, procurement documents and procurement schedule • After the Bids are in - Use Best and Final Offer (BAFO) See: • The Procurement Information Center - http://www.mass.gov/Aosd/docs/pic/procure.doc • RFP Advisor - http://www.wrtech.com/rfp_advisor/final_offers.html • Other publications